On a recent trip down to OC, I couldn't help but stop by the Kyusyu & Okinawa Fair that was taking place at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa. From what I hear the Torrence location had much more food, including the special "Tonkotsu Ramen," which the Costa Mesa location did not. Either way, there were still many food stands inside the marketplace.

I wanted to come to Mitsuwa for primarily one reason and that was for the "Pie Fresh Custard Pudding on Choux". A custard cream puff sandwiching a nice sized piece of pudding. So good, I wish I had bought more boxes.

First stand that we see when we walk in!

Workers hard at work

Two puffs for $5, what a deal!

Such a beautiful sight <3

Nom, Nom, Nom......

Other stands that sold other items such as an assortment of sushi and fish cakes

I've been given the nickname "grandma" many a times for my odd habit of drinking hot water by itself in my office (something that has stuck since winter time), slow driving, or my "early" bed time of 11pm or midnight compared to other friends.

Alas, when I heard from Christine of Choisauce about Tomato Pie and their famous Grandma pizza that had ranked 7th of the top 25 pizzas in the US by GQ magazine, I couldn't resist, but to go check it out.

We started off with the Breakfast Pizza which consisted of tomato, bacon, and spinach atop an egg and olive oil base. According to the owner, Garrett, the egg was beat and then poured over the pizza before baking it, really allowing it to integrate with the cheese and rest of toppings. After all, who says you've really had breakfast without an egg in some sort of shape or form?

Next we were given complementary cucumber salad mixed with tomatoes and a little bit of vinaigrette. Very refreshing and satisfying on the hot above 90 degree outdoor seating where we were enjoying our food.

Finally, the only pizza I really wanted to try and had woken up at 8am due to excitement after going to bed at 2:30am the previous night was here. The Grandma was a very simple pizza with no meat, but instead consisted of crushed marinated tomatoes over an olive oil base, fresh garlic basil, oregano, light mozzarella and Parmesan sprinkled on top. For a gal whose bro says I shouldn't go for my typical "all meat" pizzas, but should opt for vegetarian choices instead, I would happy to take a pizza like this to pretend to be a little more ladylike.;)

Following that famous pizza was the chicken fiesta which consisted of tomato, basil, onion, chicken and a little bit of jalapenos to give it just a little kick. This particular pizza was not on it's menu, but seems similar to the fiesta pizza which is currently on it's menu.

After that, the head chef Adrian came out to display a new pizza that he had created. Instead of using tomato sauce as a base, classic and Dijon mustard was used for this pizza that had cheese, tomatoes and salami on one half of the pizza. To be honest, I was getting full and was not sure how I would like this pizza. Surprisingly, I really liked the unique style of this pizza and it easily is a close second for my favorites of the day.

After eating so much dough and cheese, it seriously was a sigh of relief to see that our last pie for the day was a grilled vegetable pizza, also not showcased on the menu, but according to Garrett would gladly be made if requested. On top of the cheese there were large pieces of tomatoes, spinach and eggplant. Although I'm not a huge fan of such large pieces of vegetables on pizza, the vegetables were perfectly marinated and grilled to perfection which complemented the other elements of the pizza very well.

Despite being so full, I suppose there's always room for dessert. Today the owner brought us a sample of tiramisu that was freshly made my Adrien. A perfect ending to a very satisfying meal of pizzas.

Tomato Pie is the perfect spot to satisfy that craving for New York style, thin crust pizza. The only down side was dinning outside with such a large group, but according to Garrett there are plans in the works to make an enclosed eating area where it was currently outdoors among other renovations in the future.

Who says things called "grandma" could not have a negative connotation? I'll gladly take my nickname when it reminds me of such a perfect slice of pizza.